Episode 308

Somebody on Survivor found the immunity idol before the presence of an immunity idol had even been announced. Television, particularly of the reality variety, has become so predictable that by watching, future contestants can now beat the system before the system is even there. So Russell, your typical Survivor d-bag, sticks his hand up a tree and finds the immunity idol within about five minutes of starting the search. Kind of anti-climatic.

In an era of such predictable TV -- so predictable that even the people on the show know what's coming next -- Modern Family, another fantastic new sitcom this fall, is a breath of fresh air. I highly recommend watching the whole thing: it will be the best 21 minutes and 35 seconds of your week, guaranteed; but if you're too busy to watch TV (i.e. you're a condescending grad student), just watch this short -- and absolutely perfect -- clip. Out of context, but still worth it.

I'm assuming this was intentional, but it's kind of like the new generation of Arrested Development. It's relatively more normal (relatively being the key word) and a little less subtle, at least at this point, but it's got that same these-people-are-jackasses-but-you-love-them-even-more-for-it kind of feel. Since being just too over the top got Arrested Development prematurely canceled, the slightly more human characters of Modern Family might make this a keeper not only for the viewers, but for the networks, too.